My final Hangzhou post is a cracker. It was our last night there and we got tickets to see Impression West Lake, an outdoor extravaganza everybody told us we must see if we were even within a hundred miles of Hangzhou. It’s hard to put the show into words. Brought to life by Zhang Yimou, director read more

We received a recommendation from a friend that if you are looking for excellent roast duck, then don’t miss out on the famed cherry valley duck (櫻桃霸王鴨) in Taiwan’s Yilan county. Specifically, the place to try is the Red Lantern (紅樓) at Silks Place (蘭城晶英酒店), one of the region’s top hotels. And so when we knew we would be read more

Hot pots have started to grow on me recently, and after my latest experience at Mo-Mo Paradise, a popular Japanese shabu shabu chain, I must say I’m falling in love. There are a couple of things that make Mo-Mo Paradise special. First of all, they offer what is referred to in Japanese as “tabeihodai” (食べ放題), which means read more

[Update: 12 November 2011 — Anh Do’s new book, ‘The Littlest Refugee’ is coming out and this ghostwriting controversy is still around. According to Do, the book’s publisher Allen & Unwin hired a proofreader to compare the manuscript Do wrote against the one written by Visontay, and found that less than 10% of Visontay’s sentences read more

Movie Review: Shame (2011)

Writer-director Steve McQueen’s sex-addict movie, Shame, has been the talk of the town lately because of Hollywood’s biggest new star, lead actor Michael Fassbender’s…um…”assbender”.

Fassbender’s appendage, which is on full display in the film, has been the subject of a slew of jokes, including from George Clooney, who asked during his Golden Globes acceptance speech if Fassbender had ever played golf with his hands tied behind his back (other jokes include “Fassbender puts pornstars to Shame“, “Fassbender has nothing to he aShamed of”, “Fassbender puts Vincent Gallo to Shame”, “Fassbender is going to be starring in Boogie Nights 2: No Prosthetics Needed“, etc). (Okay, I made pretty much all of them up.)

Oh, yes, what’s the film about? Fassbender plays Brandon Sullivan, a successful New Yorker who just can’t keep it in his pants. The guy just needs it all the time, wherever, whoever, you name it. And he’s not even the master of his domain, if you know what I mean. It’s actually quite debilitating and not as exciting as it seems. His sister Sissy, played by Carey Mulligan, shows up out of nowhere and turns Brandon’s life upside down. Sissy has some serious issues of her own, and it’s obvious they are both trying to forget their troubled past, which is hinted but never revealed.

You would think that a film about a sex addict would be a comedy, but Shame is extremely dark and depressing, pretty much all the way through. Like most addictions, Brandon’s issues are deeply rooted (pun intended), and McQueen does not glamorise it at all, making his best efforts to convey the condition in a realistic manner. It’s portrayed not a whole lot differently to any type of serious addiction, be it drugs or alcohol — though I wouldn’t say the film is as harrowing as say Requiem for a Dream.

Despite the film being centred around sex, it’s not gratuitous — though there is a fair bit of it, there’s not nearly as much sex and nudity as one would expect. Credit to McQueen for showing enough to convey what’s necessary but not to the point where it becomes exploitative.

I haven’t seen all of the Oscar best actor nominees, so I can’t make a definitive statement — but it’s a minor travesty that Fassbender, who also starred in McQueen’s acclaimed debut, Hunger, was not given the nod this year for his daring, brilliant, controlled performance. Without him, I’m not sure how this film would have turned out. Also very impressive is Carey Mulligan, who hadn’t jumped out at me before in previous roles but was particularly effective here as the needy, disruptive Sissy. The singing scene was a little cringeworthy but everything else was solid.

Shame is very much an indie drama film, so it’s not going to be for everyone. There are long, lingering shots and plenty of conversation and silence. But at the end of the day, everything is there for a reason and as a result the film works as a piece of compelling cinema. It’s a an effective and disturbing portrayal of an addiction that robs the afflicted of their ability to make an emotional connection with other people. I was riveted from start to finish.

5 thoughts on “Movie Review: Shame (2011)”

Does the movie, in its representation of the sex addiction issues, give some credibility to Tiger Woods’ excuses? I had found Tiger’s excuses to be rather weak, so having watched the film, do you think Tiger was really victim to his urges?

I never gave much thought to that, but it’s a very different situation for a couple of reasons. First, Tiger was married, while Assbender’s character is single. Second, Tiger’s one of the most prominent celebrities on the face of the planet, while Assbender’s character isn’t. Assbender isn’t lying about it or trying to conceal it, nor does he have to. That’s a significant difference. That said, the great thing about this movie is that shows, ultimately, that people have a choice. You just have to watch it!

Back in September, you wrote a very helpful article about your move from wordpress.com to wordpress.org. Did your traffic pick up again? When you get a moment, I’d really appreciate an update, as i want to move my blog over for the same reasons you did, but have the same reservations you so clearly covered in September. Thanks.